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Claiming Lives

Stuart Land

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Feb 17, 2012 Grammy 1 rated it it was amazing

I just love it sometimes when an author follows the little voices in their head. The ideas flow from one topic to another and you are always surprised at what you are going to find, like a present when it is unwrapped. Well Stuart Land is that kind of author.

We have yet to see a sequel from him, maybe in 50 years when the ideas in his head slow down. Until then, I am gloriously surprised every time I begin page 1. Claiming Lives is his newest entry. It is a shorter novel than what we are used to I just love it sometimes when an author follows the little voices in their head. The ideas flow from one topic to another and you are always surprised at what you are going to find, like a present when it is unwrapped. Well Stuart Land is that kind of author.

We have yet to see a sequel from him, maybe in 50 years when the ideas in his head slow down. Until then, I am gloriously surprised every time I begin page 1. Claiming Lives is his newest entry. It is a shorter novel than what we are used to from him, but this is one crazy ride.

In our first scene we meet Jake, 15 yrs old, and his 13 yr old girlfriend, Kath. It is an eerie prologue of two teenagers meeting up with something they did not expect. From that moment, Jake will carry what happened when he was 15 as part of him. Kath was “taken” from him by a man who the police finally determined was kidnapping young girls. From that night Kath, like many other young girls, disappeared, and has never been seen again; nor had her body been found.

From the beginning I think of Police Inspector Jake Smithson’s motto as Live Fast, Die Young and Make a Good Looking Corpse... He has a bad boy attitude, a lust for doing first and asking questions later. He has a 1968 Mustang GT, loves 60's Rock n Roll, and his 13 year old daughter Taylor is being raised by his deceased wife’s parents. He rents a garage apartment, and his family is his partner Bradley Pierce, dressed as his opposite, in Armani suits and living in a high end home with his live in lover Romero.

Jake is plagued with nightmares of the alley, of he and Kath and the abduction. Her ruby ringed hand reaching out for him for help before he wakes in a sweat has followed him for all these years.

A call comes in to them with multiple shots fired, and they are near that same neighborhood of his dreams. The chase ensues up staircases... over roof tops... what a run... Eventually the perp. is stopped, caught and brought down wearing ‘The Ring”. Strangely enough it was in the same alley where he lost Kath.

I do not want to give away the story, but what if the serial killer from the past came back to the present and started playing games with Jake??? What if he sends a different young girl with a picture of Kath taped to her face and kills her as Jake watches helplessly??? What if all these girls were all missing young woman as Kath was??? …What if this maniac was dropping crumb by crumb to lead Jake to his lair??? That is, until Etta !

I loved this story!!! The 'Dynamic Duo' was fabulous. Jake and Bradley were a fabulous cop team duo and Romero was the best side character. Their Captain Youngblood was wonderful as well. He had two wonderful cops, and gave them their lead in solving the crime. What a concept, instead of always having the bumbling Captain.

I loved the conversations between Jake and his teenage daughter Taylor, and the ones between Jake and his partner were priceless... This is a very smooth fast ride... the pages keep turning till the end. There is no time to think, and the reveal is both tough and sad and thrilling. I still have not stopped to catch my breath. I loved it! I do not feel cheated, and yet I have questions. I do say Bravo, 5 Star Stuart Land!

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Feb 26, 2012 Loves To Dive rated it it was amazing

In a back street alley of San Francisco, 15 year old Jake and 13 year old Kath have found what they assume is an easy mark for robbery, a man walking with a cane. They trap him in the alley, Jake pulls his knife and demands his money, but the man turns the tables on Jake and Kath. His cane becomes a sword; he slices Jake and kidnaps Kath.

15 years later, a grown up Jake is now an inspector in the San Francisco police department, he and his long time partner Bradley work to solve murders and have In a back street alley of San Francisco, 15 year old Jake and 13 year old Kath have found what they assume is an easy mark for robbery, a man walking with a cane. They trap him in the alley, Jake pulls his knife and demands his money, but the man turns the tables on Jake and Kath. His cane becomes a sword; he slices Jake and kidnaps Kath.

15 years later, a grown up Jake is now an inspector in the San Francisco police department, he and his long time partner Bradley work to solve murders and have a little fun along the way. When Jake and Bradley respond to multiple shots fired in an alley, their lives take a turn to the bizarre.

In the next few days, they will respond to another call in this exact same alley, find a dead woman, get shot at, thrown off a building and have a manipulative serial killer leaving them clues. Just another day at the office, or is there something or someone from Jake’s past playing games with them? Hang on to your hats and strap in for a fast paced, action packed, smart talking ride along with the boys.

Stuart Land never ceases to surprise me. Just when I think I have his writing style down, he throws me a totally different side of himself. We know he can write like a master, painting pictures with his words that can move the reader to every emotion imaginable. Who knew he could get down and dirty and take us to the mean streets with the average joe? In this offering he gives us a modern, easy to read, action, adventure, mystery, love story.

Jake is a guy that is haunted by his past, lives on the edge and with the exception of his partner and his daughter, is a loner. He likes to take chances, maybe a few too many for Bradley’s comfort, and doesn’t seem to care about his own safety. He has a soft side, which we see when he interacts with his daughter, Taylor and has wicked sense of humor. His partnership with Bradley is so much fun to see, it’s obvious these two guys would, and have, risked their lives for each other. I would like to have him for a friend and would love to hang out with him.

Bradley and Taylor play a large part in Jake’s life, and even though this is a short novella, we get to spend quality time with them. They make Jake so much more human, and keep him in line, which he needs. There are a few other people that come into Jake’s life, one beautiful mysterious woman and one arch enemy. I won’t go into them too much because it would be a major spoiler, but trust me, they are good characters.

This is a short novella; I read it in two hours, partly because I just couldn’t put it down. The plot kept me engaged, I loved the people and the mystery element kept me guessing. If you’ve read any of Mr. Land’s works, you won’t be surprised that this one is good, but you will be surprised in that it’s written in a totally different style.

I would recommend anyone who loves a fast paced, buddy movie type mystery/crime book, to read this now, you won’t regret it. Way to go Mr. Land, I can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve next.

Reviewed as a member of Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team

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Mar 31, 2012 Stuart Land rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

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